Machining system and method, control device and computer program product for controlling a machining system with a machine tool

Abstract

A machine tool including a first and a second tool magazine, wherein a tool for machining a workpiece can be received from the first tool magazine and a tool from the second tool magazine can be transferred into the first tool magazine, and wherein one of the tools includes a multiple tool that can be fitted with a plurality of tools prior to the machining. A method for controlling a machine tool includes the steps of detecting workpieces to be machined, determining the tools required for machining the detected workpieces and determining the tools, with which the multiple tool is to be fitted.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for controlling a machine tool with a first tool magazine and a second tool magazine; wherein a tool for machining a workpiece can be collected from the first tool magazine and a tool can be transferred from the second tool magazine into the first tool magazine, and wherein one of the tools comprises a multi-tool, which is equipped with a plurality of tools prior to the machining, the method:
 identifying a plurality of workpieces to be machined; 
 determining the tools that are required for machining the identified plurality of workpieces; and 
 determining the tools with which the multi-tool is to be fitted; 
 wherein the tools are determined in such a way that a weighted sum l *LC+TP is minimized over the plurality of workpieces to be machined; 
 wherein LC is a number of the tools that are transferred from the second tool magazine into the first tool magazine for machining the workpiece;
 wherein TP is a number of the tools which are to be fitted in one of the first magazine and the second tool magazine for machining the workpiece; 
 wherein l and w are predetermined weighting factors. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , further machining the identified plurality of workpieces by means of the machine tool. 
     
     
       3. The method as claimed in  claim 2 ; wherein a plurality of multi-tools is provided; a plurality of identical tools can be fitted on different multi-tools and the machining of the workpiece which is to be machined with one of the identical tools is performed with only one of the identical tools. 
     
     
       4. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of multi-tools is provided and no two identical tools are fitted in different multi-tools. 
     
     
       5. The method as claimed in  claim 1 ; wherein the tools for the multi-tools are formed using mixed integer programming methods. 
     
     
       6. The method as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a quantity of multi-tools with already fitted tools is taken into account. 
     
     
       7. A control device for a machine tool having a tool magazine for tools, of which the machine tool can collect one at a time for machining a workpiece, wherein the control device is configured to carry out the steps of the method of  claim 1 . 
     
     
       8. A machining system, comprising a machine tool having a tool magazine for tools, of which the machine tool can collect one at a time for machining a workpiece, and a control mechanism as claimed in  claim 7 .